This is a very important Washington Post article.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/24/AR2009042403339.html?referrer=emailarticle

politics opinion "Washington+Post" CIA security commentary "Porter+Goss" al-quaida "Kahlid+Sheik+Mohammed" 9/11 interrogation terrorists "Not+With+A+Whimper"

CHAVEZ TO OBAMA: THE DIS-GIFT

It’s important to get all the facts—if that’s possible. We’re being fed a diet of partial and edited facts. Saber es poder. Knowledge is power. Let's look a bit more closely at the progress made by President Obama with Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez and others.

We do know that on March 29, 2009, Chavez said this, “the least I can say is that he's (President Obama) a poor ignoramus; he should read and study a little to understand reality…."

We do know that the book Chavez gave President Obama is "Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent" by Uruguayan author Eduardo Galeano. This book is an extension of the March 29th remark, and it is his condescending way of “educating” his American counterpart. His gift is merely the gift of public humiliation.

This book is a favorite of the left. Let me quote Jake Tapper, ABC News’ Senior White House correspondent. Read this to see the intent of this “gift.” (The emphasis is mine)

“The division of labor among nations is that some specialize in winning and others in losing," the book begins. "Our part of the world, known today as Latin America, was precocious: it has specialized in losing ever since those remote times when Renaissance Europeans ventured across the ocean and buried their teeth in the throats of the Indian civilizations. Centuries passed, and Latin America perfected its role."

Galeano writes that while the era of "lodes of gold" and "mountains of silver" has passed, "our region still works as a menial laborer. It continues to exist at the service of others' needs, as a source of oil and iron, of copper and meat, of fruit and coffee, the raw materials and foods destined for rich countries which profit more from consuming them than Latin America does from producing them."

At another point in the book, Galeano writes: "Our defeat was always implicit in the victory of others; our wealth has always generated our poverty by nourishing the prosperity of others."

The book also criticizes the U.S. for "spreading and imposing family planning. ... In Latin America it is more hygienic and effective to kill future guerillas in the womb that in the mountains or the streets."

There was no way for Mr. Obama to avoid accepting the book, and it was indeed gracious of him to joke about it. He was caught by a man shrewder than he and far savvier about the machinations of power. BUT, and this is a big but, we the people have been led to believe that our President is making inroads though his apologizing and, as I see it, groveling at the feet of foreign powers. That’s doesn’t really seem to be true, and our media is not reporting it. We have to search for the world’s reactions even as we shake our own heads in disbelief.

President Sarkozy of France had no hesitation, as reported by the Times on April 17th, of cracking jokes about Europe’s Obamamania, and even said about Mr. Obama’s planned visit to Normandy in June for the D-Day anniversary,

“I am going to ask him to walk on the Channel, and he’ll do it.”

He had no hesitancy in calling our President weak. He said, again according to The Times,

“Mr Obama was inexperienced and indecisive…Obama has a subtle mind, very clever and very charismatic,” the French President said. “But he was elected two months ago and had never run a ministry. There are a certain number of things on which he has no position. And he is not always up to standard on decision-making and efficiency.”

Obviously I’m neither a fan of Chavez (I don’t buy Citgo gasoline) or of Sarkozy. I think France has always needed a severe attitude adjustment. But I am a fan of the U.S.A. and I don’t see us in the way our President or some of the rest of the world sees us.

I want a President who is going to tout the good things we do. I didn’t hear any of that from him. I want him to stop talking as if all our problems began during the George W. Bush adminstration. I’d like to move our country forward as it was designed; I’m not interested in a “new foundation.” We’ve got a good foundation; let’s use that strong base to be better.

Obama Sarkozy Chavez gift books ABC "Jake+Tapper" France Normandy Bush USA politics commentary opinion politicians

NEW YORK STUDENTS AXED BY TAXES

A shocking article in the April 15th edition of the Times Herald-Record reported that SUNY New Paltz is axing its RN program as well as closing its graduate programs in teaching. The closings will make the SUNY Albany campus the nearest affordable state graduate school to residents of any area between New York City and Albany. The cuts are in programs where students typically work full time and attend classes part time. This is a tough cut. For students it will cost time and money. More change at the expense of the middle class.

College President Steve Poskanzer downplayed the nursing cuts. “These people are already nurses.” A student countered by saying, “The program is all about making better nurses.” Doesn't the college president know that's what further education is all about? It hones skills.

The grad teaching programs (and one must have a graduate degree to be a fully licensed teacher in New York), will eliminate programs in chemistry, earth science, French, Spanish, and math. This at a time when there's a cry for math and science teachers. Once-upon-a-time-candidate-Obama suggested that we all learn Spanish. With the cry out for “more qualified teachers,” is seems sickenly ironic that these cuts are seen as a way to save money.

At the same time, the college is increasing parking, academic-course and gym fees.

The SUNY system is also increasing tuition by $620.00. But read this from the Times Herald-Record: “Poskanzer blamed the 'deep cuts' on the state's decision to 'break faith' with the SUNY system by instituting a $620 tuition increase, most of which was swept into other parts of the state budget.” IN OTHER WORDS, THE STATE IS TAXING STUDENTS IN THE NAME OF TUITION INCREASES BUT USING THE MONEY FOR OTHER PURPOSES.

This debacle brings up, once again, the issue of what is happening in the country. The powers that be do not call these money-grabbing forays into our pockets TAXES. But they're taking the money just the same, and using the money for??????? In this case it's not for the students.

It’s important for us to realize what is happening. Are we being lied too? I guess that depends on your definition (as it so often does nowadays) of a lie. But at the very least, we are purposefully not being told the whole story. We better wake up and make our outrage heard!

"New+York" SUNY taxes tuition students school college "grad+school" nursing teaching "grad+programs" "graduate+school" gym parking "Times Herald-Record" math science Spanish French chemistry "earth+science" government

TAX DAY & TEA PARTIES

The flood of changes washing over this country is the past 100 days is frightening. Sometimes I feel as if we are drowning. Several things happened that seem to put more leaks in my sinking ship of state.

If the United States is to run as a republic, it must have an informed citizenship. The media coverage of yesterday's Tea Parties is one further proof that the powerful media outlets are twisting our minds, and if it continues, America will be ruled by a few very powerful individuals out for self-aggrandizement. Even now I feel disenfranchised.

Yesterday's Tea Parties were not covered with any kind of honesty by any news outlet that I could discover other than Fox. That's chilling since Fox has been labeled by the Networks and other Cable stations as extremist, and many, without even looking at Fox, have bought that lie as truth. No other outlet mentioned that there were over 2,300 tea parties around the country with all kinds of numbers. In fact, I heard a CNN reporter verbally attacked a participant. She then turned to the camera and said that this was an “anti-government” rally, conservative rally, and one touted by Fox news. That statement is a blatant lie. It's not anti-government; it's anti-taxing government, and the people at the tea parties were Democrats, Republicans, Independents, and anyone else who thinks enough is enough! Mr. President, Congress, quit groping. Our pockets do not belong to you!

This morning, Robin Meade on CNN, gave the tea parties about twenty seconds of airtime, dismissing them as GOP rallies. No mention of numbers of rallies; no mention of number of participants. What we don’t know CAN hurt us.

Today's New York Times did not have anything about the rallies on its front page. My local paper, the Times Herald Record out of Middletown, had nothing, but they did have a paragraph touting Newt Gingrich as the new GOP “guru” and suggesting Newt Gingrich is attempting to re-insert himself in the political arena with an aim to run in 2012. What is that all about?

Anyone not tuned in to Fox news cannot be faulted for having missed the entire event. They fell prey to the media's obvious intent to deny them the right to judge the event and its participants for themselves. That's pretty scary. Uninformed, we are unarmed. Keep people ignorant and you can keep them under your thumb.

At the same time, Homeland Security “Czar” Janet Napolitano, who only a few weeks ago had no fear of our border insecurity, issued an "assessment" to law enforcement agencies: be wary of people who support single issues (pro-life, immigration, taxes, etc), returning military vets, supporters of third party candidates, and people whose paranoia made them suspicious of the “one world” view. Watch for bumper stickers supporting third party candidates. These people could be dangerous to the country. Huh? This morning I watched her defend the "assessment."

As if this is not bad enough, toss in the announcement that members of the President's staff serve on a special taskforce that reviews the President's speeches and appearances and “edits” them before they appear on youtube. What we see then, is “photo-shopped” perfection—no errors, no gaffs, no questionable lines.

The other day, for instance, President Obama, made an error some might call Freudian. He spoke about being against “privacy” when he meant to say “piracy.” Big difference, huh? Bet you won't hear that gaff on the internet. This type of instant revisionism is important since even the questionable pronunciation of the word “nuclear” by George W. Bush left Democrats rolling on the floor and insisting he was a bloody moron. When Obama spoke to the students in Turkey, he could not remember the Russian president's name. BTW, it's Medvedev Mr. President. He bowed to the Saudi King, then denied it. When he was called on it, he should have been singing that old country cheating song about “believing your lying eyes."

These are manipulative examples of which I am aware. What else is going on? Well, here's a President who can't give a speech without a teleprompter and is dismal at impromptu speaking. Who is writing the words for him, and when does he have time to make sure his speechwriters are really getting his ideas across? More and more I get the feeling that I am not getting the real story about anything, and that makes me very nervous. Think about it.

Obama taxes tea party protests news media opinion CNN FOX politics commentary reporting New York Times Times Herald-Record Napolitano Homeland Security immigration abortion photoshop